I have a 69 bug and intend to lower it eventually but not until after i buy wheels and tyres. I will be buying EMP! 8 spokes 15 X 5.5 and am now wondering what tyres i should purchase.

I am considering falkens as they are a reasonable tyre. The rims will be fine for 195 but i am not sure if i should get V55, V60 or V65.

The other issue is do i get 195 for the rear and 165 for the front so I wont have any issues when i lower the front?

Any advice would be much appreciated

Hi

I have 165 x 80 x 15 on the front...
and the same on the rear... on 6 inch wide wheels...

I used to have 205 x 65 x 15 on the rear...

My front end is lowered...
as far as it can go without rubbing on the guard lip when turning. when it was really low, the ride was very harsh too..

Rear hasn't been lowered...

165 x 80 x 15 tyres are 645mm diameter approx
205 x 70 x 15 tyres are 668 mm diameter approx
205 x 65 x 15 tyres are 647mm diameter approx

I did find the sizes and diameters etc for different brands of tyres but can't find where i wrote it down...
I was looking to see what tyres to put on the rear so My engine isn't revving as hard...

I am thinking of 205 x 70 x 15 which are 668mm diameter..

I've searched for the info... but can;t find it...
saw it recently when not looking for it..lol

check out cars with very low front ends and very small tyres...

and whether you like the look... and rough ride...

If You live in the city and don't have rough roads...
a small narrow tyre will be OK....

I personally don't like that idea... and don't like the look..
remembering that most of braking is with the front wheels...

cheers

LEE

thanks for the info yes i think i need to some research. you didn't use to have a hot VW with a brother from Scone? I remember around 30 years ago two brothers from Scone had hot vw's. I met them through a friend in South west Rocks?

calculators like this are really handy for working out and comparing sizes

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp 

Excellent work Joel...

I may have used something like that to get My info...

as I had tyre and brand sizes..

as some brands are very different to others in sizes... Diameter

LEE

Joel,

Thats awesome I will measure my current diameter as the calculator doesnt have a 69 VW

stock vw tyres are 165/80 R15" seeing as 155 R15 arent around anymore

Yes, Michelin [I think] can be bought as a vintage tyre

155 x 15 ... and now very expensive...

vintage = double the price.. lol

LEE


[165 x 15 were the normal size for type 3s]

what is the standard diameter for beetles?

Hey Paulc
195 by 65 is a good tyre size from my experience. A good compromise for a beetle between ride and handling and has fit the beetles I have had (super and non). On my '66 I did have to run 185 by 65 on the front with the chrome mangels though.

thinking further when you lower it Paul, there are implications depending on which method you use to lower.

If you go with beam adjusters your front track will remain the same - it wont widen the wheelbase. If you go dropped spindles, which from my experience gives the nicer ride, the wheel base will widen by about 1/2 inch each side. So a tyre width which is ok now will possibly rub when you drop the front, then you will be looking for wider front fenders or a narrowed beam. My advice, if you go for dropped spindles, get a narrowed beam and do it all in one hit.

So, try and work out which method you will use to lower. Then re-ask the original question about tyre sizes.

I am looking at a new beam as i have been told it provides the best ride so i will get the wheels first most likelt 195/65 then get the car lowered to a point that it doesnt rub the front, does this seem feasable?

It really depends on how low you go, what beam width etc. Find a car you like the look of in terms of height and wheel combo and use that as a starting point. Everyone has a different definition of low as well....
I used to run a 185/65 on jap rims around 6 inch with cb drop spindles only. Looked ok with no real clearance issues.

Thanks for the advice Owen, i think i will take a camera, pen, pad and tape measure to the VW Nationals in may and have a good look. The wheels I ordered from rod Penrose won't be here for a few months anyway.

I'm a little confused about the beam or lugs. If I use a new beam with drop spindles the ride is unchanged compared to using adjusting lugs, is this correct or am i totally confused lol

The drop spindles simply relocate the stub axle 2.5 inches higher, lowering the car 2.5 inches. The angle of the trailing arms etc stays the same, so in simple terms your car will be 2.5 inches lower with stock suspension. Using adjusters on their own means the angle of the trailing arms is heavily changed from stock and the ride ends up stiff and you need shorter shocks etc etc. Ultimate setup is both so you have nice ride and some adjustability as well. Rod will know how much track the various brands of drop spindles he sells add, the CB ones I used years ago didn't add much.

If you use drop spindles you can just bolt them on the car, no need to change the beam unless you need it narrowed or adjustable or its really farked for some reason. Budget for some new balljoints, wheel bearings and tie rod ends when you do the job as well, unless you know definetly their all in good condition.

Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks Owen I think I will just do the drop spindles rather than the whole beam as I dont want to lower the car a great deal so if i can get away with the spindles rather than the beam i will go with that.

If I go with the Falken ZE912 tyre I can get a 195/V65 for the rear and 175/V65 for the front

I guess 205 on the rear maybe be pushing it with width lol

Sounds like a good combo, just bear in mind the smaller diameter front tyres will mean your speedo over reads. Just means less chance of getting booked!!

thanks at this stage the front tyres will have the same overall diamaeter of the current tyres

ahhh I ve been there and done that,I took my wheels to a Tyre place and they tried some old tyres on my wheel to see what fittrd best on my bug.

So would most of you agree with drop spindles and maybe 165 to 175 V85 on the front and 195 V65 on the rear?

Here is the look I am trying to achieve

Does anybody run smaller profile on the fronts of their beetle?

I know it will effect the speedo but they do look good. I was thinking 195 X V65 on the rear and 165 X V60 on the fronts?

Im running 235/65R14 on the rear and 215/60R14 on the front
on pig, lowered and has the fiberglass kit... dont have any issues with scrubbing tyres etc

yeah i never actually pay that much attention to it as i dont drive pig that much but next time i will take the gps with me and cross check the speedo readings.... have not yet gotten a speeding ticket so cant be off that much!

If your front wheels are smaller than standard the speedo will show you doing faster than you actually are so you will never be booked for speeding

have a look here http://www.antiquetyres.com.au/tyre-brands/michelin?page=1
i found some michelin tyres that i think might be worth a look at if your interested in original tyres. have a browse through the ite, they have lots of different tyres for everyones needs

oh and in regards to never getting done for speeding when using smaller wheels, not to many people would get upset with a beetle driving slower than the speed limit, its not like its a ferrari or a lambo where they have a fast look, everyone would just think that its slow so its ok lol

205/65 rear 195/60 /15on front


205/60 rear and 195/50/15